. tonight: >> governor romney is a very talented salesmen. he has tried as hard as he can to repackage the same old bad ideas and make them out to be new ideas. >> the question of this election comes down to this. you want four more years like the last four years? >>. no. >> or do you want real change? >> yeah. >> bill: last-minute campaigning in the race is still tied according to most national polls. but over the weekend there was a momentum shift. we will tell you what happened with brit hume. karl rove and kirsten powers. >> were they denied requests for help during the attack? >> well, we are finding out exactly what happened. >> while the national press has been largely missing in action about libya, some local reporters have grilled the president about it we will show you what happened there. >> he will win the popular by, i think about half a point, electoral college probably a very narrow margin. >> bill: also tonight charles krauthammer wants to make a prediction about the presidential election and i will tell you my thoughts as well. >> bill: caution, you are about to enter

>>> a man born to wealth, privilege and politics. >> i'm mitt romney, and i'm running for president of the united states. >> i think my dad has always felt like he wanted to be true to his dad's name and legacy. >> a savvy businessman who made a fortune at bain capital and turned around the 2002 winter olympics. >> he has two speeds, asleep or wide awake and fixing things. >> good to see you! he is a mr. fix it. >> a man driven by faith in himself, his family, and his mormon religion. >> you try your very best to know what god might say and of course you look to get correction from the church as well. >> a warm, caring man. >> he was going to do anything he could to just say, i'm here, stay right there and we'll be okay. >> or a cold, calculating politician? >> he's made decisions knowing that this they could resurface, hence, under the glare of a political campaign. >> mitt romney isn't pro-choice, anti-choice. he's multiple choice. >> he changed his position on a broad range of issues for a simple reason, he wanted to run for president of the united states. >> or a true believer.

comes down to the next 24 hours. one year of campaigning, $1 billion spent, mitt romney ever the optimist going up against the pessimist barack obama. i'm still picking romney and you'll hear my commentary later in the broadcast. >>> for the first time with just hours to go, pennsylvania now coming up in play. that is astounding for a state long thought to be in obama's hands. we have amassed all of the kudlow all-stars on both sides of the aisle to help us out for the next hour. >>> first up, the first polls close in 24 hours. that includes the critical battleground state of virginia. so how close will tomorrow be? or can we expect mitt romney or obama to pull off a sizable win? who knows. chief washington correspondent john harwin knows. >> everything we know suggests it's going to be chose. let me give you context for prediction of a romney victory. take the latest nbc/"wall street journal" poll. obama 48%, romney photography%, can't get any closer than that, well wind the margin of error. then go to the battleground states. we've got three late battle ground state polls. firs

. 48 hours until the election. thousands of americans voted today as mitt romney's team is trying to talk their way to a championship. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> this is what democracy looks like. team romney thinks they have it all locked up. >> it looks like the map is starting to expand drastically in our favor. >> the spin from the right just keeps oncoming. tonight, richard wolffe and jonathan alter have the latest on a massive day on the campaign trail. >>> plus all the latest on a bizarre day of early voting in florida. the romney campaign finally addresses their lie. and karen finney responds to the righties who blame hurricane sandy for mitt romney's rough finish. >> the hurricane is what broke romney's momentum. >> good to have you with us tonight. folks, thanks for watching. the days are racing by and time is running out. mitt romney needs something short of a miracle in the worst way. romney went to clooeflds today to project strength. in the choice of the american people can lead to one of two very different destinations. if the president were to be ree

change. if it weren't for that, suppose romney had run as a moderate from the get-go. suppose obama had faced down his rival in that first debate the way he faced down hurricane sandy? would have, could have, should have, of 2012. and finally, taking it in the gut. one candidate will suffer a personal and profound loss next tuesday night. either the first african-american president or a man who feels a duty to so many others or the man who wanted to redeem his father's own failed presidential bid long ago. i'm chris matthews. welcome to the show. with us new york magazine's john heilemann. cnn's gloria borger. the grio and msnbc's joy reid. and the huffington post howard fineman. first up, here we are in the time capsule. the weekend before the election asking why is this so close? still so unpredictable. both men face big hurdles to getting elected and that's why it's so close. president obama's got the jobless he inherited but can't quite beat. friday's new jobs report was encouraging but gains are still behind what we need. in a reflection of that, 62% of voters say they would li

line. good evening. i'm bret baier. how close is it? polls have romney and obama in deadlock. gallup has it 49-48 romney. real clear politics average of recent national polls has the president ahead by a little more than half a point. just ahead, karl rove and joe trippi break down the final electoral map and offer their prediction. the tug of war over ohio landed two men, not joe and carl, president obama and governor romney in shouting distance in the state capital. chief political correspondent begins our coverage from columbus. >> romney hit four states, tossup in the poll and the map to 270 electoral votes. >> we could begin better tomorrow, tomorrow and with the help of people in florida that will happen. >> first stop, florida, with shot at the president to shore up lead that dwindled. >> cared more about the liberal agenda than repairing the economy. did obamacare create new jobs? >> no! >> latinos are big in florida. and nationwide romney hoped to poll in 30s. he's been in 20s for months. first of two stops in virginia, lynchburg. >> get everyone we know out to vote tuesday.

vermont, is the president's first win today. mitt romney, we project, will be the winner in indiana, kentucky, and in west virginia. the states that you see in white are states where the polls had now closed, but we do not yet have enough information on which to base a projection. as we were saying, mitt romney has just picked up the state of west virginia. now, you may be looking at this and saying, wait a minute, that shows us that none of the vote has been counted. how can you say that mitt romney has won west virginia? well, all of our cbs news projections tonight will be based on the vote that has been counted and also our exit polling. we have been talking to voters in all of these states all day long as they've left the polling places and based on that exit poll information, we will project winners in these states and we will do so only when we have complete confidence in that projection. now let's look at that battleground states that we keep referring to tonight. these are the states that could go either way. these are the states that are going to tip the balance tonight fo

start with rita williams live in boston. that's where mitt romney's campaign is planning for a victory party. >> reporter: party planners have had to plan for any eventity, a tie, a win, or a loss. if there's a loss, they will turn the lights down real low and that confetti will, will you probably never see it. >> i'm just going to get the regular quarter pounder, without cheese. and a baked potato. >> now, mitt romney may not be very hungry tonight. and one of his last campaign stops today, he and his runningmate paul ryan ordered fast food in cleveland in that important battleground state of ohio. polls show president obama had the tinyist of lead going into this election day. >> i expect it to be more tired. given the number of events and hours and i think i got energy for the people that i spent time with, whether at the rope line or the rallies. when you have ten thousand people cheering you, you get a real boost from it. >> now, let me show you this video. the plane carrying mitt romney landed here in boston. and the governor had just returned from that swing from a day o

romney. answers next on news watch. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. hahahaha! hooohooo, hahaha! this is awesome! 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico sure are happy. i'd say happier than a slinky on an escalator. get happy. get geico. melons!!! oh yeah!! well that was uncalled for. folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico sure are happy. how happy, ronny? happier than gallagher at a farmers' market. get happy. get geico. [ male announcer ] it's time for medicare open enrollment. are you ready? time to compare plans and see what's new. you don't have to make changes, but it's good to look. maybe you can find better coverage, save money, or both. and check out the preventive benefits you get after the health care law. ♪ medicare open enrollment. now's the time. visit medicare.gov or call 1-800-medicare. �

moment. the states in red are the states that cbs news projects will be carried by mitt romney. let's have a look at those quickly. the state of indiana cbs news projects will go to mitt romney and the state of kentucky cbs news projects will go to governor romney. and so far tonight we have projected president obama the winner of the state of vermont. that is all we have at the moment. all the other state state wheree polls have closed we simply don't have enough information yet to make a projection on those states. will barack obama get a second term? or will mitt romney become the 45th president? will the democrats be able to hold on to the senate or will the republicans take control? we're about to find out. it's election night on cbs. changes and i'm going to bring it to this country. >> the stock market has rebounded. our assembly lines are humming again. we are moving forward! >> i want more jobs! my priority is jobs, jobs, jobs! >> i don't want your vote because of what i have done, i want your vote because of what i'm going to do. >> this campaign is growing, the momentum is

. >> a razor tight race. >> we've given all people need to know. >> do you know who mitt romney is. >> we know he doesn't want to answer. >> there's going to be a civil war in the republican party. >> he is the worst republican in the country. >> are you calling mitt romney a liar? >> yes. >> are you think there's an issue on the flip flops. >> pick any other republican in the country. >> no, he can't beat obama. >> republicans talking about excuses. >> well i'll put it in a nutshell. if we don't run chris christie, romney will be the nominee and he'll lose. >>> in this final day of campaigning, president obama began the day in madison, wisconsin, where he spoke before an estimated crowd of 18 thousands. then he headed to columbus ohio where he spoke before an estimated crowd of over 15,000. within the hour the president will make his final campaign speech of his career as a candidate in des moines, iowa. we will bring that to you live as well as michelle obama's introduction. >> today our businesses have created nearly 5.5 million new jobs. the american auto industry has come roar

. >> willard mitt romney, the republican nominee for president of the united states. exactly who is he and just what does he stand for? >> i believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. >> we need people who recognize that pro-life is the way to go. >> people often say, well, who is the real mitt romney? is it the liberal, the moderate, the conservative? >> i was a severely conservative republican governor. >> it's really all of those things. >> in this hour, the making of a presidential candidate. his rise through business and politics. >> we took on an entrenched machine and we won. >> what forces have shaped the man? my dad was a huge presence in my life. i wish he were able to see what i'm up to right now. >> i believe in my mormon faith and i endeavor to live by it. >> all of these folks who have worked with him throughout his life are still right there beside him. that tells you everything you need to know about his character. >> there are people who know him personally who say he's a very warm and engaging person. i wish i had met that person. >> and now with paul

obama buries romney. let's play "hardball." ♪ >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start with this. the hurricane and this president. hemingway called it grace under pressure, the highly educated call it good government. the american people who count the most call president obama's handling of tropical storm sandy positive. 4 out of 5 give him good marks as first responder in the crisis. the question before the election is whether this huge story about disaster and executive response is the last big one before we vote. is it the october surprise? the black swan that swoops out of nowhere and changes everything? as scarlet o'hara said, there's always tomorrow. chuck todd is nbc's political director and john heilemann is "new york magazine's" national affairs editor and an msnbc analyst. i guess that's my question to start, but let me give you this first. the president this afternoon bagged a big endorsement, new york mayor mike bloomberg, who is always interesting to watch. he cited the president's stance on climate change as the major reason. he writes, quot

in mitt romney's efforts to expand the battleground map? we cover it all this morning with two key voices in the campaign. president's re-election campaign, white house senior adviser david plouffe. and majority leader of the house, republican congressman from battleground virginia eric cantor. >>> also, our new head-to-head numbers in our poll and a primer on each side's path to 270. our political director chuck todd. >>> and then what issues mattered most in the campaign, like jobs? new jobless numbers out just days before the vote. and romney's religion and even foreign policy. our roundtable will weigh in. >>> democratic mayor of newark, new jersey, cory booker. host of msnbc's "morning joe" joe scarborough. republican strategist mike murphy.r. co-toast of "today," savannah guthrie. and nbc news special correspondent tom brokaw. >>> live from nbc news election headquarters at democracy plaza in new york, this is a special edition of "meet the press." with david gregory. with david. >>> and good sunday morning. this is it from our nbc news election headquarters at new york's roc

election. mitt romney's campaign needs some disaster relief. because he's desperate. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> we need a vision that says, we don't just look out for ourselves. we look out for one another. we look out for future generations. and we meet those obligations by working together. >> the president takes the high road on the stump. mitt romney continues the campaign of deceit. >> mitt romney. >> tonight, karen finney on the closing arguments. >>> the uaw's bob king on the new charges that mitt romney profiteered from the auto rescue. >>> the secretary, versus the decider on the campaign trail with michael tomasky. >> can't get fooled again. >> with the east coast still reeling from the devastation of hurricane sandy, stories of heroism are coming out of the woodwork. tonight, one of the nurses who helped save the lives of four babies during the hurricane. >>> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. residents on the east coast are trying to get their lives back as the cleanup and recovery from sandy continues. thousands of commuters l

. >> i would like to say for anyone thinking about voting for mitt romney, if that is who you are, thinking of voting for romney, make one plea. black people know who you are and they will come after you. >> greg: hilarious. joking that blacks are a violent threat, hit with mar's applauding. this obama got $1 million from him, it's okay. who runs hbo these days? reverend right's arm mars sagging butt? this is a puppet reference. what is beyond the election? whoever wins, we're always going to be the incumbent. it's up to us to protect our future for bad ideas. we end like frogs in a slow-cooking plot. for mitt, nothing cool about him. hero worship is impossible! to close miss turner we don't need another hero. we just want someone to get the job done. is mitt the guy? why not? at least we're not blinded by cool. this is your turn, it's time for you. time for adults again. facing up to adult world. we can't wait four years for obama to grow up. make clear it was a puppet reference. all of us will go around and do our own thing, tomorrow. >> i am expecting great things. i like what

. three days until the election. mitt romney throws a desperate hail mary, president obama is hanging with katy perry and the latest on how hurricane sandy is affecting early voting in ohio. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> we know what change looks like. >> three days and the obama campaign is pumped. the romney campaign is still playing with shiny objects. >> did you see what president obama said today? he asked his supporters to vote for revenge. >> alex wagner and michael steel on a huge day on the campaign trail. >>> early voting rages on in ohio. state senator nina turner has the latest as the righties continue to delewd themselves about the buckeye state. >> mitt romney will win ohio and he's going to win ohio easily. >> i think ohio is going to be a squeaker, maybe 80, 110,000 vote margin but i think the republicans are likely to take it. >> bob strom is here and he'll set the record straight. >> an bill clinton continues to slam the door on romney in the state of virginia. >> if you really believe we're all in this together, re-elect president obama. >> as

registered voters. the results are already in. mitt romney 5, president obama 5. it is the first time, by the way, in dixville notch history that it tied. >> voters will start heading to the polls across the country. here's a look at which states opened their polling places at 6:00 a.m. eastern time. they include key swing states such as new hampshire and virginia. a handful of states start voting 30 minutes after that at 6:30 am eastern time. one of those states coveted ohio. ainsley earhardt live in our new york headquarters tracking battle ground states. doug lieu zahered looking at the last minute plans in ohio and pennsylvania. >> we start with kelly wright on president obama's final stops in the campaign trails. >>> good morning to you. even though the president was criticized for the handling of benghazi and the economy his final closing argument is focusing on trusting him for four more years. he heyed the last campaign stops he needs in order to get elected. the president accompanied rock star bruce springsteen said he wants to move the country forward he has more work to do to deliv

six days until the 2012 election. president obama is showing mitt romney and the rest of the world what real leadership looks like during a time of crisis. this is "the ed show." let's be working as closely as possible with the state and local officials, and we will not quit until this is done. >> big government makes a big impact in new jersey, where the president tours the state with chris christie. >> it's been a great working relationship to make sure that we're doing the jobs that people have asked us to do. >> new jersey senator bob menendez was with the president today and he joins me live tonight. plus, jonathan alter on why good governance is good politics. e.j. dionne on mitt romney's troubling post-hurricane trouble. dnc chair debbie wasserman schultz on mitt romney's disappearing act. and bob shrum is here tonight, with a brand-new electoral map that will put a smile on democrats' faces. >> good to have you with us tonight, folks, thanks for watching. washington, pay attention. it has taken a life-altering disaster to show the country how our elected officials can work

there are two choices in this electi. vote for obama, you don't get romney. vote for romney, you don't get obama. all the rest, all the distractions, and mickey mouse, and it comes down to this. will you, you, the person you are in your soul, be counted? if not, i just don't know a good thing to say to you. this one counts for history. and that's "hardball" for now, thanks for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. >>> good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show" from new york. six days until the 2012 election. president obama is showing mitt romney and the rest of the world what real leadership looks like during a time of crisis. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> the federal government will be working as closely as possible with the state and local officials, and we will not quit until this is done. >> big government makes a big impact in new jersey, where the president tours the state with chris christie. >> it's been a great working relationship to make sure that we're doing the jobs that people have asked us to do. today and he join

all get to exercise that right today. including the candidates. governor romney voted this morning in belmont, massachusetts. paul ryan cast his ballot in janesville, wisconsin. joe biden checked the box for the obama ticket in his home state of delaware. you will remember, president obama voted early in chicago back on october 25. but today, it's really up to you. in this hour we'll check in with carl cameron at the romney headquarters in boston. plus ed henry with the obama camp in chicago. we'll tell you which states to watch, when the polls close and what is at stake in each one of them. plus, we'll run down reports of voter fraud and intimidation. hope you stay with us for the hour. the way we'll do it, run to the swing state and start with virginia. bob, what is going on in virginia? what is the latest? >> bob: it depends on the turn-out in the northern virginia. democratic stronghold. the other issue is how big they turn out in virginia beach and hampton road area. promilitary. obama did very well down there last time. he won't do as well this time. >> eric: can i point some

a neurologist. >> romney's life was about to take an unexpected and unhappy turn. >> we went into his office, and he performed an examination. it was very clear that she was flunking the examination. she couldn't stand on her right foot without falling over and so forth. he stepped out, and she began to cry, and i welled up tears as well. we hugged each other. and she said, something's terribly wrong. >> at age 49, ann romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an incurable disease that can shut down the central nervous system. >> you don't know how much is it going to chew me up and spit me out. where and when is it going to spit me out? how sick am i going to get? is this going to be progressive? am i going to be in a wheelchair? and it's a very, very frightening place to be. >> and i know ann was really distraught and distressed with the diagnosis, particularly as time went on, because she was really ill for quite a while. >> i really just was having a very, very hard time and was very depressed and had kind of given up a little bit. >> it was a tough moment for both of them

south is with romney, or is against obama. you can see this division as it works its way down from southwest pennsylvania, including part of ohio, down through west virginia. you see it in the agitation that romney and his forces are working in their ads and speeches. donald trump, who says is president is an illegal immigrant, now doing robocalls for romney. john sununu keeps calling the president lazy and un-american. and topping it off, we heard romney out here in ohio today saying the president is bent on, get this, revenge. let's begin tonight with my interview with vice president biden. i started with that high octane issue of auto production right here in ohio. >> thank you, mr. vice president, for this time. here we are in ohio. what do you make of this republican ad that's been out there running for romney saying that chrysler is going to take jeep out of this state and send it to china? >> here are the people right in this state, toledo and other places, just back up on their feet, jeep is hiring people and they put out an ad saying that barack obama sent chrysler bankrup

colorado voted three-one and giving him colorado. he also took the state of iowa 52-46 for romney. >> brian: we thought that was going to be closer. all important state of ohio. this was neck and neck . it was the bellweather. union household incrosed support to the by five points . not a surprise. comny won north carolina which obama took last time around. mitt romney was able to grab. virge rirge and florida isn't in his column. >> gretchen: half of wisconsin voters have a favorable opinion of paul ryan, it was not enough to give romney a win. he lost his home state. >> brian: that was a dominant win in wisconsin. >> steve: despite the push in pennsylvania. voters gave the 20 electoral vote to president obama. >> brian: what happened to dead heat and too close to call. pennsylvania, president obama got out in front and never let go. we have long. john roberts is with mitt romney in headquarters and phil keatings in florida, keeping phil up all night. starting with wendall. happy people? >> not much change. president has faur more year slightly larger majority in senate and repub

leadership romney, less taxes, less spending and less government and administration actually takes responsibility for both its excesses and its failures. now, the difference is between the two men on the ballot are very dramatic. without a doubt. only one of them is a leader. let's take a look at brand-new rnc video. >> what is the essential qualities of a leader. >> the leader has an built to see where things are headed before people in genesee it. that vision is not just skill and brilliance but even more their life experience. >> we need to take back america. it's up to you guys. you can make a difference. >> now is the moment where we need to stand up and say, i make my destiny. we deserve better. my children deserve better. my family deserves better. my country deserves better. >> how we're going to restore economic freedom. >> can you win this thing? >> i'm going to win it. >> sean: it's important not to forget what four years of obama's policies have gotten us. economy is joke and we are laughed around the world. all this humor is not set sitting well you the american people

romney has won it this time. it is not a surprise, though. we were expecting governor romney to take indiana. kentucky, this is a very red state and governor romney has taken kentucky, as well, tonight. and vermont, a very blue state weighing in early and president obama, abc news, based on the exit polls is ready to project a winner in vermont right now. let's tell you about other states. we have too little information to make a projection. georgia, a red state, bill clinton won in 1992, but no other republican or every republican has won since then and south carolina, solid red state, not enough information to project at this point, so -- and virginia, this is a big one, george, and we do not have enough information at this moment. we are watching it every single moment. we'll bring you the news as we have it. >> that is the biggest surprise so far. a must win for mitt romney. the overall map. as you said no big surprises right now. a lot of votes outstanding but the polls are closing. the race could not be closer. both 2012 stavote 2012 starts r. >> are you fired up? are you

president is there to cut a deal. the people who brought romney who wouldn't. now they bought him. does anyone really think he will finally stand up to them? what makes anyone think he will not dance with the one that brung him. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" starts now. >> thanks, chris, i'm al sharpton. this is a special edition of sunday it sunday "politicsnation." we are coming to you live tonight from democracy plaza from new york's rockefeller center. it'll be our headquarters through election day. we have two days to go. here's where the race stands. new nbc news wall street journal poll just out today shows president obama with 48% of the national vote. mitt romney has 47%. a dead heat. the new york times, 538 blog says if the election were held today, the president would win reelection with 307 electoral votes. mitt romney would get 231. 270 is the magic number needed to winter white house. the times blog gives the president an 85% chance of winning the election. romney has a 15% chance. that's the highest percentage the president ha

columbus, ohio, with the boss performing right now. not to be outdone, mitt romney has an event in columbus himself just a few hours from now featuring the marshall tucker band. tough choice there for columbus voters. and if the polls are any indication, america is split down the middle in our new poll. the president just edges romney 48% to 47% among likely voters. well within the margin of error. another look at polls confirms this race is pretty tight. with that in mind, the final day of campaigning is a whirlwind tour. mitt romney is at his second event in virginia today. and he said real change will begin with his victory tomorrow. >> the question of this election comes down to this. do you want four more years of the last four years? or do you want real change? >> virginia of course a state that mitt romney desperately wanted to have locked up months ago. the old dominion very tight. but it is far from the only tossup state and it was at a massive 18,000 strong rally at madison, wisconsin, that the president fought to defend his mantle of change you can believe in in stark co

chicago, su Último mensaje de campaÑa, para reconocer la enÉrgica campaÑa de su opositor y mitt romney no descansÓ en massachusetts, hizo una gira relÁmpago por ohio y pensilvania, espera los resultados en boston, nueva jersey extiende la votaciÓn hasta el viernes, muchos votantes quieren ejercer el derecho a pesar de la tragedia, comenzamos. ♪. ♪. ♪. >>> este es su "noticiero univisiÓn" con jorge ramos y marÍa elena salinas. >>> quÉ tal, buenas noches, llegÓ el dÍa de la elecciÓn, la reÑida y frecuentemente agria contienda que mantuvo enfrentados a obama y mitt romney, durante largos meses, llegÓ a su fin. >>> en horas se sabrÁ quiÉn seÁa el presidente de estados unidos, obama pasÓ el dÍa en chicago, y mitt romney continÚa haciendo campaÑa en dos estados antes de regresar a boston. >>> amplia cobertura abarca numerosas ciudades del paÍs. >>> tenemos a lourdes, en la campaÑa de mitt romney en boston, y luis con el presidente barack obama en chicago, dÓnde comenzamos? >>> no todos los dÍas recibe una llamada del presidente. >>> (hablan en inglÉs). >>> asÍ que

. governor romney is also racing against the clock, tweaking his argument. and in case you forgot, we've got more than two guys running on tuesday, tonight we'll break down all of the battles, particularly for congress and who will decide control of it and what the next president can get done. good evening from democracy plaza. it's saturday, november 3, 2012. this is a prime time edition of "the daily rundown." we're taking a look at how we got here. presidential elections that aren't close are actually odd. no republican has gotten more than 300 electoral votes since 1988. only four democrats in history have gotten more than 53% of the vote. bottom line, this is 1976 meets 2000 meets 2004. in other words, it's a very close race. so how did we get here? the president began this campaign weighed down by a troubled economy and still faces a jobless rate higher than any incumbent seeking re-election since fdr. in the president's first six months there was a lot of money spent some of it by choice, most of it by need. the wall street bail dpts out, the federal stimulus and the auto b

romney and ryan. gentlemen, it's never, ever been a good bet to bet against the americanople! never! folks, we need you, virginia. with your help we will win virginia, we win virginia, we win this election! >> my thoughts, my intellectual analysis of this, factoring everything i see plus the polling data, not even close. 300 plus electoral votes for romney. >> when the president of the runs is asking people to vote as revenge, you have to know that's pretty desperate. >> what we see now is an admission and the presidency littered with broken promises. it's the most partisan atmosphere we've seen in decades. he didn't bring people together, he divided people. >> you know that i know what real change looks like because you have seen me fight for it. i have the scars to prove it. i have the gray hair to prove it. and you have had my back in that fight. and after all we've been through together, we can't give up on it now. we've got more work to do. >> everything obama has done has hurt the economy, has hurt healthcare. everything he has harmed the debt, has worsened the deficit. there

. >>> romney wins in the state of north carolina. now, to -- the states that have just closed. the state of california goes to the democrat, not surprisingly, obama as -- the polls have just closes in california. nothing reporting yet but we are 100% sure california goes to obama. the state of washington not surprisingly to the democrat obama. the state of idaho, goes to romney. 91 votes to 52 votes, we are sure of ourselves around here and then the state of hawaii, good evening to you and you have elected -- you have given your votes to obama. now to the important states which are still undecide. that will begin with the state of virginia. a state that we have been watching all night long. now three fourths of all precincts reporting. romney with a slight lead but still to close to call according to the decision team. the state of ohio which we thought would be the big teller of the night, obama at the moment at least has opened up a lead but only two thirds of all precincts reporting and ohio is still to close to call as is iowa, six votes up for grabs, important state in this el

romney in critical battle ground states. less than 60 hours to go to election day. the drama is building and we're on the trail with live reports and new polls to share. good day, everyone. welcome to weekends with alex witt and welcome to live coverage from democracy plaza. we will be here in 30 rockefeller center in new york city until election day and all through the results night tuesday. we'll have more on that in just a moment. first let's get to what's happening right now. three days until the election. new today president obama looking to close the deal in the crucial battle ground state of ohio. this is from mentor, ohio where the president is just about to speak. we're watching that very closely. before heading to today's event, though, the president visited fema headquarters to get a response to the efforts of aftermath of hurricane sandy. he is sending -- >> we don't have any patience for bureaucracy. we don't have any patience for red tape. and we want to make sure that we are figuring out a way to get to yes as opposed to no when it comes to these problems. >> mean

billion, under mr. romney's case it would not have cost taxpayers anything. neil: he would not have had the government involved at all. >> but once you break the law, which the government dit broke the bankruptcy law, and government put that money in, that could have been in it held in bankruptcy like -- >> it could have caused mitt romney some crucial votes in some states, that are high union. >> it is, because it is not understood. neil: eelectric rall e-- electos -- votes thus far. he has pulled ahead in the states that president obama was expected to win, remember you do need 270 to win, i must stress every single state we've been pulling up for you, including those mentioned, as expected. there are no surprises yet, remains to be seen as night ensues whether we'll see them, alabama is one as expected. deep south, heavy republican territory mr. mitt romney, ditto in mississippi, goes for mitt romney. a question later ol be state of north carolina. a state that tipped to brack book by slightest of margins, became a red state, then a blew state, could be red tonight, oklahoma goes to

said, and i stand by whatever i said, whatever it was. >> people should know about mitt romney at this point. >> talk is cheap 679 >> nothing i've said in the past should be any indication of my positions in the future. >> good afternoon. i'm alex wagner in for lawrence o'donnell. with just two days till the election, the candidates each campaigned in four battleground states as republicans expressed concern that chris christie has elevated president obama's chances of re-election. the race is in a statistical tie. president obama at 48%, mitt romney at 47%. here is president obama in new hampshire. >> our fight goes on because we know this nation can't succeed without a growing, thriving middle class. our fight goes on because america has always done best when everybody gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same rules. that's why you elected bill clinton in '92 and why you elected me in 2008 and why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. >> mitt romney campaigned today in iowa, ohio, pennsylvania and vir

elect romney, he's going to be heading a political party who doesn't believe it's heading a political party that doesn't believe it's a problem. >> thank you for being on the "ed show." the rachel maddow show is next. >> thanks, ed, happy halloween. my halloween costume again this year is middle-agedle lesles ll lesbian in a cheap jacket. it's halloween where ever it can be halloween. this year it is not everywhere because it cannot be. governor christie postponed it. it will be moved to monday, november 5th to protect new jersey's young trick or treaters. crews were fixes falling power lines. nearly two million households in new jersey are still without electricity today. in reference of how much of the country that means, even if there was one person in each household without pour, even if it was just one, it would mean there are more people in day three of no power in just new jersey than the population of each of these states marked on the map. this is a huge number of americans here. it's nots over, it's not done, it's not past tense. widespread flooding is still presen

mitt romney están empatados con un 48% en la intención nacional, ambos tienen el mismo apoyo incluyendo a los independientes, romney tiene una ventaja de 20% en los hombre y el presidente barack obama 6% entre las mujeres >> otra agencia dice que obama logra el 48% y romney el 47, como vemos hablamos de un empate estadístico >> el equipo que impulsa la eleccion de obama trabaja atodo vapor en chicago, el mandatario ha visitado 4 estados, desde esa ciudad tenemos lo más reciente en el resto del país en la fecha >> cuando el presidente regrese a la casa blanca su destino estara dividido. >> con la voz que le queda el presidente criticó a romney que dice de darle más poderes a los ricos y quitar impuestos a los más ricos. no es la opcion >> llaman uno por uno para que no se queden en casa, el triunfo puede depender de unos pocos votos >> no sabemos si esas diferencias minimas son reales, creo que depende fundamentalmente de que la gente que apoya a obama vaya a votar. >> el llamado parece estar funcionando en illinois la fial fue de 2 4. >> es muy importante la votacion de

is called for mitt romney. a state that mccain won in 2008 by a wide margin. the state of connecticut is called for obama. an important state there with a high profile senate race between linda mccann and representative chris murphy and the district of columbia just three electoral votes is called for president obama. >> we're waiting on florida right now florida is still too close to call. this of course is one of the t hotly contested states. florida too close to call. the polls are closed in florida. onto illinois where obama has taken illinois. as you can see there illinois is going to the president. maine also going to the president tonight. nbc news projecting president obama is the winner of maine. onto maryland where we are also seeing president obama take maryland. and that of course ten electoral votes. >> interesting. the state of massachusetts governor romney's home of course as governor at least being called for barack obama. also home to a very high profile senate race between senator scott brown and elizabeth warren of harvard. the woman who set up consumer protection b

and mitt romney making their final pitches to swing state voters. >> governor romney has been using all his talents as a salesman to dress up these very same policies that failed our country so badly. the very same policies we've been cleaning up after for the past four years. >> attacking me does not create an agenda for him. we actually have a plan to get this economy going. >> paul: and joining the panel this week, wall street journal columnist and deputy editor dan henninger, political diary editor jason riley, james freeman and washington columnist kim strassel. >> any evidence that hurricane sandy is going to affect this race? >> i think, yes, i think it might, in the sense that -- i think one of the big elements in the race is the level of enthusiasm on both sides. my strong sense, paul, this is an enthusiasm deficit on the democratic side. >> paul: all the polls show that. >> all the polls show that and i think it's a going to be a determining factor, now, new jersey, new jersey, maryland, it isn't going to decide whether-- obama will win those states. his popular vote may b

who knows in one of the various directions governor romney has offered. with him you need a weather map to know what road he's going to take on any given day. the question looms now of how this country will get together the day after tomorrow. i always think that's important, but it's more important now because of our form of government, the division in the country. barring a landslide, it's going to take both sides to move ahead to meet debt reduction, immigration, education, and competition in an increasingly competitive world. both sides. got it? whatever happens tomorrow, we need a working national unity when it's over. that's a fact. our two guests are the best. nbc's political director chuck todd and howard fineman. let's look at this. let's start right now and look at the last words. here's romney today in lynchburg. >> paul ryan and my vision is to limit government rather than limiting the dreams of our fellow americans. now, our choice tomorrow is going to lead to one of two very different outcomes. if the president were to be re-elected, he would still be unable -- [ booin

with the latest stores. we start with the racemessen tracking survey. romney up over the president, and this is our final glimpse into the minds of voters across the country before they head to the poles. and gallop, it, too, shows gov. romney beating his opponent, close margent, 49-48. we will have in-depth analysis from the key winning states, including encouraging news for team romney. but first joining we, former new york city mayor, rudy giuliani. how many stops did you have? >> we did about 20. we did ohio and florida and we just finished in pennsylvania. >> you had five stops? >> norm coleman and i did all of them together. we had john voigt with us today in pennsylvania. and i was very encouraged by pennsylvania. i campaigned there a lot. i was, i was there in '04 when we came two points away from taking it. i was very encouraged by pennsylvania. i think there's a tremendous amount of activity there. the party is really energized. every group that we met with the crowds are really enthusiastic. they feel like they are relevant all of a sudden, all the talk about ohio, all t

running for president of the >> i'm mitt romney, and i'm running for president of the united states. >> i think my dad has always felt like he wanted to be true to his dad's name and legacy. >> a savvy businessman who made a fortune at bain capital and turned around the 2002 winter olympics. >> he has two speeds, asleep or wide awake and fixing things. >> good to see you! he is a mr. fix-it. >> a man driven by faith in himself, his family, and his mormon religion. >> you try your very best to know what god might say and of course you look to get direction from the church as well. >> a warm, caring man. >> he was going to do anything he could to just say, i'm here, stay right there and we'll be okay. >> or a cold, calculating politician? >> he's made decisions knowing that they could resurface 30 years, hence, under the glare of a political campaign. >> mitt romney isn't pro-choice, anti-choice. he's multiple choice. >> a political opportunist -- >> he changed his position on a broad range of issues for a simple reason, he wanted to run for president of the united states. >> or a tru

to pennsylvania, made four stops including two in philadelphia. mitt romney went back today. in pennsylvania is in play, this is a very long night for barack obama, but is it? right now, it is too close to e a hampshire, 1% of the precincts reporting in stated in answer. one thing about new hampshire is it is a very small state. you cannot get a lot by winning the hampshire, unless, of course, you want to win the presidency. you think four electoral votes cannot decide this race? you are wrong. hampshire is a tossup state. it is a bellwether state, and it is to close to call. the state of ohio, as mentioned, to close to call. they closed 30 minutes ago. lopsided victory at the moment for barack obama, but with just 7% of precincts reporting, think nothing of that. the state of virginia still in play. we wbe watching that throughout the night. 12 percent of precincts reporting, and right now, mitt romney has a healthy lead in a state of virginia, but again, virginia is a number of different demographics within one, so whatever precincts reporting, we do not even know yet. to deci

well. and mark halperin, i have heard from republicans that are very close to mitt romney that are tied in that campaign. and some have actually said it publicly that this election froze in place their momentum two, three days. you heard haley barbour say that publicly. i think karl may have said something as well. got a lot of people close to him inside that were saying this on friday, saying, you know, our internals just. soed. >> the crowds are huge. >> their crowds are huge. you followed romney and said the crowds -- you told me what everybody else is telling me, romney's crowds are absolutely electric. >> i saw the president in ohio and governor romney in ohio over the weekend. and there's no question that governor romney's crowds are big. the president's drew some big crowds this weekend, too, including saturday night in virginia with bill clinton, but there's no question that one of the things the romney people can seize on is the potential that they have more enthusiasm. plenty of enthusiasm for the president, too. but there's a lot of enthusiasm for mitt romney and for bea